American Airlines to face former cadets’ racial discrimination claims

The plaintiffs say they were subjected to racially abusive treatment and left with an average of $90,000 in debt after being kicked out or forced to quit American Airline pilot training program.SAN DIEGO (CN) — A racial discrimination lawsuit against American Airlines’ pilot training program and a flight school in San Diego will move forward in federal court after clearing major hurdles on Thursday.U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant ruled mostly in favor of a group of 20 nonwhite former flight cadets, who say American Airlines Cadet Academy marketed itself as a fast and affordable path forward for nonwhite candidates to become pilots in an effort to diversify the predominantly white profession.But the plaintiffs, many of whom quit their jobs and took on thousands in loans, say they were lied to about the program, subjected to racially abusive treatment and victimized by predatory schemes.None of the plaintiffs completed the program and are now saddled with an average of $90,000 in debt.American Airlines partnered with Coast Flight Training, also a defendant, to train candidates in California and Texas. Both defendants filed motions to dismiss the claims against them.Bashant, a Barack Obama appointee, greenlit the cadets’ fraud-related claims, a Civil Rights Act claim and consumer protection and advertising claims from some of the plaintiffs to move forward.American Airlines, which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, also argued that the Southern District of California lacked jurisdiction.“The court finds plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that their fraud-based and consumer protection claims are rooted in AA defendants’ intentional acts, which were aimed at California and caused harms likely to be suffered in California,” Bashant ruled. “More specifically, plaintiffs allege AA defendants marketed the AACA program through their own channels reaching California and directly partnered with Coast to market the AACA program in California.”The airline company could be sued in California because it chose to contract with Coast Flight Training, which is based in San Diego, she continued.She ruled the plaintiffs’ civil rights claims could continue because the plaintiffs claimed the airline’s activities were directed at California.“For instance, plaintiffs allege AA defendants received but failed to address complaints of race discrimination from AACA cadets at each of Coast’s three campuses, including in San Diego, California,” she wrote. “Plaintiffs claim AA defendants’ failure to address their complaints contributed to every plaintiff’s termination or forced resignation from the AACA.”Coast Flight Training argued that Federal Aviation Act standards preempted the plaintiffs’ lawsuit. Bashant rejected this argument.“None of the FAA provisions cited by Coast establishes a standard of care for pilot schools to not misrepresent the nature of their services,” she wrote in a second ruling. “Furthermore, the provision of the FAA that does set forth advertising limitations prohibits a school from making false or misleading statements regarding its certification and ratings, and requires a school that advertises its certification to clearly differentiate between approved and non-approved courses.”in a phone interview attorney Michael Lockman, of law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight and representing the former cadets, hailed the rulings as successes.“Just because the federal government regulates flight safety doesn’t mean flight schools can engage in racially discriminatory or fraudulent practices,” Lockman said. “We’re thrilled by the court’s ruling denying in large part both of the motions to dismiss filed by Coast and American Airlines.”However, Bashant did dismiss some claims, including those brought by cadets who lacked sufficient connections to California or Texas, as well as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act claim against American Airlines and Coast.“We do intend on filing an amended complaint to secure any deficiencies the court was concerned with,” Lockman said. “With the exception of a few smaller claims, this was a victory and we’re very proud of our legal team and plaintiffs in defeating these motions and moving forward expeditiously in discovery.”Plaintiffs say they were promised six-figure salaries after completing a 12-month program. However, the process usually takes between two-and-a-half and four years.Representatives of American Airlines and Coast Flight Training did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads